You Can't Go Home Again
by Mychand
Summary: Things don't go quite as planned when Caitlin leaves the Airwolf crew to embark on a new career.
1. Chapter 1

**You Can't Go Home Again**

**Chapter 1**

"Package for Stringfellow Hawke," yelled a young man as he pulled up and got out of a delivery van.

Hawke stood up and wiped his hands before walking over to him. "I'm Hawke," he replied.

"Sign here," the man said as he shoved a clipboard into his hands.

Hawke signed his name and was handed what looked to be a large picture frame all wrapped in paper.

"Have a good day," said the man as he turned and climbed back into the van.

"Hey, is that Cait's gift?" Dom asked as he came out of the back office. "She said it should be coming today."

"Yeah, she did," Hawke replied remembering that Caitlin said she was leaving them something to remember her by.

Hawke sighed as he slowly unwrapped the large frame.

"Don't look so glum," said Dom as he studied the portrait. "It's a good picture of all of us. Caitlin was hoping I'd hang it here in the hangar."

"Yeah," Hawke said softly. "Good idea."

"String, she'll be back," replied Dom.

"In two years Dom," said Hawke. "Two years is a long time."

"It's great opportunity for her," replied Dom. "Not only does she get to travel around the world doing air stunts but she's getting a part in a blockbuster movie."

Hawke tried to smile. "I know Dom," he replied. "I really am happy for her. I just really doubt she'll ever want to come back here after all of that."

"I'm going to miss her too," said Dom as he put his hand on Hawke's shoulder. "She's been a big part of our lives for the past two years."

"Yeah, she has," he replied. "I guess I've gotten use to having her around."

Dom smiled. "Hey, she even gets to do a scene with Ernest Borgnine," he replied. "Some people say that he and I could be twin brothers."

Hawke grinned. "Really?" he replied. "I don't see it."

Dom shook his head at his friend and laughed. "Okay, well I'm heading out. Caitlin's going away party is in two hours so I want to go home and freshen up first. Are you coming with me?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied while still studying the portrait of the three of them. "I need to stop by this little shop on the way to pick up something I ordered for her as a going away present."

"Alright, will do," said Dom. "Let's close up and get going."

A few hours later they met up with Michael and Marella at a lavish restaurant not far from the studio.

"I wish we could have given her our own private going away party," said Hawke as he looked around the restaurant. "It looks like the studio went all out to send it's cast and crew on their way."

"Might be fun to party with the Hollywood crow," Michael said with a smile. "It's not often I can do that kind of thing."

"I thought you like to keep a low profile?" smirked Dom.

"I do," replied Michael. "Why do you think I left the white suit at home tonight?

"You look great," said Caitlin as she came up behind them. "Thank you all so much for coming and seeing me off."

Hawke put his arms around her and gave her a tight hug. "I wouldn't miss it," he replied. "But I'll miss you."

Caitlin gave him a crooked grin. "I'll miss you too," she replied. "But they said we would have breaks in our schedule during the holidays so I promise I'll be back to visit."

"I know," he replied.

The group partied for hours along with the cast and grew of the movie. Caitlin introduced her friends to some of the people she would be working with.

"This is Lisa," said Caitlin as a young brunette joined them at their table. "She and I will be roommates throughout the filming."

Lisa smiled. "I'm one of the make-up artists," she told them. "I'm so excited that I finally get a chance to travel and work on a real high budget movie."

Hawke extended his hand to her. "Nice to meet you," he replied. "Good luck with your job."

The group ate, drank and socialized until little by little the crowd started to thin and the partiers were starting to leave.

"I guess I should be heading home," Caitlin told them. "I still have some packing to do. We leave tomorrow night."

"I'll walk you out," Hawke told her as he got up with her.

Caitlin hugged Michael and Marella before giving Dom a tight squeeze. "I'm going to miss you," she said to him. "I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart," Dom replied. "You take care of yourself."

"I will," she promised. "We have one of the best air stunt coordinators in the business. It'll be fine."

"I know," he replied with a grin.

Hawke put his hand on her back and escorted her out to her car. When they reached it, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a little white box and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"I couldn't let you leave without giving you a going away present," he told her.

Caitlin smiled as she opened the box. Inside was a heart shaped locket pendant. "It's beautiful," she said.

"Open it up," he instructed her.

Caitlin opened the locket to reveal the photo of her with Hawke and Dom.

"It's the same photo I had enlarged for you and Dom," she exclaimed. "It's perfect! Now I'll always have you two close to my heart."

Hawke smiled as she gave him a hug. "I'm glad you like it," he said. "It's still hard to believe you're actually leaving. It won't be the same around the hangar without you."

"It was a big decision. I sure hope it was the right one," she replied as she pulled her car keys out of her purse. "Are you and Dom going to come to the airport tomorrow and see me off?"

"Of course," he replied as he opened her car door for her. "We'll be there."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hawke was feeling a bit melancholy the next evening after they watched Caitlin's private plane take off at the airport.

"Dom, I think I'm going to take a few days off and hang out at the cabin a bit," Hawke said as they headed out of the terminal.

"Now String," replied Dom. "Don't go hiding out on me just because our girl left."

"I'm not," he lied. "I just need some time away from the hangar. It's going to be tough getting use to being there without her around."

"Yeah, that it will," Dom admitted. "But, we'll get by. We managed before she came and we'll manage now."

"I know," said Hawke. "Is it hard to believe but I think we both have changed a lot since she walked into our lives."

Dom smiled. "I agree," he replied. "You were in a dark place for a long time after Gabrielle. Maybe it's just me but I really think you've lightened up a bit the past two years."

"It's kind of hard to stay gloomy with Caitlin around," Hawke said with a sigh. "I honestly didn't want her to leave."

"I know," replied Dom. "Neither did I but I knew it was a good opportunity for her."

"I guess," said Hawke as they found their red, white, and blue jeep and climbed inside.

"I know two years seems like a long time but it will go by quick," assured Dom. "Plus, you never know. Filming may go a lot faster and she could be home sooner."

"Yeah," was the last thing Hawke said as they drove back to the hangar. Hawke immediately flew up to the cabin and spent the next few days fishing and relaxing.

On the third night after Caitlin left, Hawke was surprised to get an unannounced visit from Dom. He went outside on the front porch of his cabin and waited as the older man came up the path.

"What's going on Dom?" Hawke asked seeing the troubled look in his friend's face.

"Archangel asked me to meet him here," he replied. "I'm pretty sure I know why. Have you seen the news?"

Hawke shrugged. "No, why?" he asked.

Before Dom could answer, the two heard and then watched as Michael's helicopter descended and landed beside Dom's.

They waited for him to approach and then all three went inside of the cabin.

"Are you here about what I saw on the news?" asked Dom. "I was just about to fill String in on what I know."

Michael sighed. "I know a little more than what the news is reporting."

"What's going on?" asked Hawke.

"I'm afraid Caitlin and the film crew have run into some trouble in South America," Michael replied.

"What kind of trouble?" asked Hawke.

"A rogue rebel group has kidnapped them," he replied. "Apparently they let all the big named actors go because they only want the film crew. My sources say they want to make a documentary to support their cause."

"And Caitlin?" asked Hawke reluctantly.

"They still have her," said Michael. "I'm not sure why they kept the stunt crew. These people mean business and are very dangerous. They've already killed one person."

"Who?" asked Dom.

Michael pulled out a photo and handed it to him.

"Oh no," he replied with a grimace. "That's Lisa, Caitlin's roommate."

"Damn it Michael," said Hawke. "How did this happen? I thought they had tight security."

"Apparently it's custom to hire help from inside the countries these film crews work in," Michael replied. "They unwittingly hired people from that group. They overtook them easily."

"How did she die?" Hawke asked softly, his mind focused on Caitlin.

"Lisa was bitten by a rattlesnake," said Michael. "They gave her body to the local authorities and made a statement that many more would die unless they were left to make their film."

"We've got to get them out of there," Hawke said adamantly. "We can't leave them there. If they've killed once, they'll do it again."

"Believe me," replied Michael. "I have every intention of trying to rescue those people. We just need a plan."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin sat in the corner of the old warehouse that she and the rest of the crew were forced to stay in. There were dozens of cots scattered around on the floor and everyone had finally given in and decided to lie down. She found it hard to relax so she sat up and leaned against the wall.

Gently she opened the locket that Hawke had given her and stared at their picture. She then clamped it shut and closed her eyes, keeping her vision of the two men in her head as she rubbed her thumb on the grooves of the locket.

"I need you," she said in a whisper as her thoughts went back to Lisa.

Caitlin was forced to watch as her new friend was struck down purposely by a rattle snake.

"Please help her," Caitlin had begged them.

"I'm afraid we need to show them that we are serious and need to be left alone," one of the men told her. "She has to die. I'm afraid that's her destiny."

"No, it doesn't have to be like that," Caitlin screamed as she watched them pick up Lisa and placed her in the back of an old jeep.

That's when Caitlin heard the man that she perceived as the leader, instruct his men to take them to the warehouse.

"What do you want with us?" asked the director.

The man smiled. "You sir will direct my movie," he replied. "The world needs to know what we are all about and thanks to you, they soon will."


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the delay. I am currently on vacation and traveling. I wanted to try and move the story along a bit while I had an opportunity. I'll try to continue by the end of the weekend when I return home. _

**Chapter 3**

Caitlin continued to sit quietly and was attentive as the crew cooperated with the rogue group and helped them plan their was surprised at how comfortable they seemed to be with their captors.

"Something seems odd here," she thought.

Suddenly the leader got up and walked directly over to her. "You will be our spokesperson," he ordered. "I think with you we will make our point."

His smile gave Caitlin a chill down her spine. He reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. She winced as his grip became tighter. He nodded to one of his men who came over with a rope. The man grabbed her hands and tied them behind her back. Then he tied a gag over her mouth.

"That should do the trick," he said as he reached up and tore the locket from her neck.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hawke and the others met the next morning at the hangar. Michael looked somber as he climbed out of his limo and joined the others.

"This is worse than we thought," he told them. "It's also not as we figured it to be."

"What do you mean?" asked Dom who had become a bit fidgety.

"Well, we thought they kidnapped them just for their cause but it's much more," he replied. "They sent a video. You need to see it."

Hawke took the video from Dom and put it in the VCR. A tall, large man addressed them immediately.

"Mr. Hawke, I think I have something you want," he told him as the camera quickly focused on Caitlin.

"I heard this woman is important to you," he said."Well, you have something that important to me. Our original plan was to create a film that would lead others to our cause but I recently came upon some information about a powerful helicopter that you have in your possession. I think that will be more helpful to our cause than a film would be. So, if you want to see this woman alive, you will meet our demands."

The man grinned as he nodded to his men. Two men grabbed each side of Caitlin and one held out her right arm as a third man injected her with a needle.

"We are giving your lady here a little high," he said laughing. "We'll keep giving it to her until you bring us what we want. The longer you take, the more addicted your lady friend will become. If you don't come, then she'll overdose and we'll send her to you in a body bag. You'll get your instructions in three hours."

Hawke was seething as the video went black. "Damn it!" he yelled. "How did these people find out about Airwolf and Caitlin's connection to it?"

"We've been trying to figure that out ever since they delivered the tape an hour ago," Marella replied. "We have two hours until we get our instructions."

"You can't just give them Airwolf," said Michael. "I know how important Caitlin is but this group is dangerous enough as it is."

"I wasn't planning on it," Hawke replied abruptly. "But I'm sure as hell not going to sit around and do nothing."

"No one is asking you to sit around and do nothing," replied Michael. "But there are still quite a few crew members there besides Caitlin. We need to figure out how to safely get them all out of there."

Hawke sat down in the chair in front of the desk. Dom watched as he nearly missed it and fell.

"String, are you okay?" he asked. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," he replied trying to brush him off.

Dom walked over to him and placed his hand on his forehead. Hawke tried to pull away but Dom grabbed him by the shoulder. "You're burning up," he said, surprised.

"I'll be fine," he quickly replied.

"We may have to overtake them from the air and ground," said Michael as he pulled out a map of the area they were holding the crew in. "The sticky part is figuring out how to get the people out safely beforehand."

"Let's hear his demands first," said Hawe as he stood up and walked over to the water cooler. He poured himself a cup of water and drank part of it before pouring the rest of it over his face to try and cool himself down.

"You have a pretty high fever," said Dom.

Hawke glared at him. "Leave it alone Dom. I'll be okay. I can't let Caitlin down now.

As he moved to sit back down in the chair, Hawke suddenly doubled over in pain. Marella walked over to him and began probing his side. Her hands met with another yelp of pain.

"It's your appendix," she told them.

Hawke took a deep breath as the pain subsided. "I know," he replied. "I'll be okay. It can wait."

"I'm afraid it can't," said Marella. "It could burst anytime now. We need to get you to a hospital."

Hawke started to protest when another waive of pain hit. He doubled over and had a hard time catching his breath.

"I'll call an ambulance," Dom said as he reached for the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After they filmed the video that was sent to Hawke, the leader of the group, Santos, walked over as the men threw her down on one of the mattresses after untying her and removing the gag.

Caitlin's heart began to race in anticipation of whatever they had injected her with. Santos watched her closely and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked angrily.

"You really think we gave you something don't you?" he replied. "Well, don't worry we won't waste good drugs on you. Well, at least not at this time. You see, we have no intention of trading you for Airwolf. I need you to train my men to fly it.

Caitlin wanted to scream out that she would never help him but she bit her tongue, knowing she was going to have to come up with a way to escape on her own.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back at the Firm's clinic, Hawke was fighting the doctors over his condition and treatment.

"Look Mr. Hawke," said the doctor. "Your appendix needs to come out. We need to get you into surgery as soon as possible. You can't put this off."

"Then I want a local anesthetic," Hawke demanded. "I don't want to be groggy or put under. I need to get out of here in a few hours."

"String, this is crazy talk," Dom insisted as he tried to help reason with him. "Michael and I will go and help Caitlin. We can do it with the help of Michael's people. You won't do her any good in that condition."

Hawke sighed deeply. "I won't have the surgery unless you promise I won't be put under," he continued to insist.

The doctor shook his head. "Fine," he replied. "We just need to get you into surgery. If that's what it takes, let's do it."

Michael and Dom watched as they wheeled Hawke into surgery. Dom sighed and shook his head.

"That kid thinks he's going to have surgery and then walk out of here and fly Airwolf," he said sarcastically. "That just isn't going to happen."

"Let's go," replied Michael. "Marella just called. They sent the instructions for Caitlin and the Film Crew's release. She said we'll need to work fast."

"String is going to be furious," Dom replied.

"Yeah, but after one of the nurses gave him a heads up about String's plan to have a local anesthetic, Dr. Gates told me in the hallway that he plans on slipping something else into the IV," he replied. "Hawke will be unconscious for awhile."

Dom gave a sigh of relief. "Good thing," he said as they walked over to the nurses' station.

"Keep us informed of Mr. Hawke's condition," Michael told her. "I'll have someone call in periodically."

"Yes sir," replied the nurse.

A half hour later they met up with Marella. Dom couldn't help but notice the intense look on her face.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"They want us to deliver Airwolf to a small farm just inside the border," she replied. "We will be able to bring one other helicopter to pick up Caitlin and whoever flies Airwolf to the location. They won't let the rest of the film crew go until they are finished with whatever they are filming. Apparently Airwolf will be a feature in that film."

"They won't to show that they are powerful," Michael replied. "What better way than to show off Airwolf's capabilities."

"I just won't to know how they knew about Airwolf and Caitlin's involvement," Dom told them. "None of this can be just a coincidence."

"It wasn't," Marella replied somberly as she handed Dom a photo. "Does he look familiar?"

Dom stared at the photo. "No, it can't be," he replied. "He was such a good employee. He only left because he found a better paying job and well, after Caitlin we didn't need the extra help."

"Apparently he has an uncle in this group," replied Marella. "He's the only connection to that group and Caitlin. But there is also the director. It appears they are best friends."

"I can't believe he even knew about Airwolf," replied Dom. "We kept it pretty hush-hush even when she came."

"People can find out anything if they try hard enough," said Michael.

"We were careless," Dom said sadly. "Now, Caitlin is paying for it."

"Well, if the film crew is in on it, then Caitlin needs to be our main focus here," Michael told them.

"We don't know for sure who is all in on it," Marella reminded him. "But it does seem they are involved. Caitlin didn't have a chance."

"She was so excited about this opportunity," Dom told them. "It makes me so angry that they took advantage of her like that. I pray she's okay."

"It doesn't look good," said Michael. "These people are pretty dangerous."

"When do we leave?" asked Dom. "There is no way I'm handing over Airwolf but we need to get her out of there."

"I'll follow in the Santini Air helicopter so they'll believe we are following their directions," Marella told him. "You and Michael will go after Caitlin in Airwolf."

Dom shook his head. "Alright," he replied. "But, I have a really bad feeling about all of this."

**_Can someone tell me the name of the guy who worked at Santini Air when Caitlin first came there? He's the character I want to use here but I don't recall his name or whatever happened to him. I just made the better job part up._**


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks for everyone's help on the character name. :o)_

**Chapter 5**

Early the next morning, Caitlin watch as Santos' men and the film crew worked to create what she considered a film of power. She couldn't help but wonder how they knew about her and Airwolf. To her surprise she quickly got her answer.

"Caitlin….", came a familiar voice behind her.

She turned and stared a moment. "Everett?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Everett sat down in front of her. He looked around nervously to make sure not one was paying him much attention.

"I'm really sorry to have gotten you mixed up in all this," he told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, giving him a stern look. "You're responsible for this?"

"Well, sort of," he replied. "It's a long story."

"Then tell it," she demanded. "It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon."

Everett shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter that you know the truth," he admitted. "Santos' right hand man is my uncle. The director, Rob, is my best friend."

He paused a moment and began to slightly chew his lip.

"Go on," she insisted as she leaned in closer to him.

"Rob and I got this idea for a film about six months ago but we couldn't get anyone to fund it," he replied. "So, my uncle helped out. The problem is he got the money from Santos. He believed in our project and thought we would have the money to return plus a profit for his backing us."

"I'm guessing it didn't turn out that way," she said with a sigh.

"No," he replied. "The project was a bust and Santos demanded his money back. When we couldn't pay, Rob came up with the idea of working for him and creating this film. When that wasn't enough, Rob mentioned Airwolf."

"How did he know about Airwolf?" asked Caitlin.

Everett let his head hang down as he took a deep breath before allowing his eyes to meet hers. "I knew about Airwolf and had told Rob all about it. I also told him about all of you. I was furious with him for using it to get us out of this mess but there was nothing I could do. Once he found out about it, Santos demanded we find a way to get it."

"So, I was going to be the bait all along," she replied shaking her head.

"I didn't think anyone would get hurt," he told her. "I figured they would get Airwolf and have their film made and it would all be over."

"Someone died Everett," Caitlin replied. "They killed Lisa."

"That wasn't because of the film or Airwolf," he advised. "She was blackmailing Rob. She found out about the plan and forced him to pay her a large amount to keep quiet and let her come along. Santos found out about it and decided to get rid of her and use her death along with you to force Hawke into giving up Airwolf."

"And I didn't see any of this coming," Caitlin chided. "Damn it how could I have been so stupid? What I don't understand is how you got those real actors to do your fake movie."

"It wasn't faked," he told her. "After the last film attempt flopped, Rob came up with a really good script. He still wants to film it but we had no choice but to go along with Santos. We were hoping when this was all over we could try again."

Caitlin shook her head. "You're in too deep," she told him. "Hawke and Dom aren't going to just hand over Airwolf. You know them. You know they're good at what they do. They'll stop Santos."

"I don't think so," Santos said as he approached the two. "My methods might be crude but that doesn't mean I'm not intelligent. I will succeed. As for you, well that all depends on how much you cooperate."

Caitlin bit her bottom lip and stared at him.

Santos laughed. "Smart girl," he told her. "I've heard a lot about you and keeping your mouth shut is not one of your strong points."

After Santos left, Everett turned to Caitlin before leaving as well. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe," he assured her. "I'll talk to my uncle. He has a lot of pull with Santos. Just continue to stay quiet and keep a low profile."

Caitlin shot him a dirty look. "Sure," she replied.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A few hours later, two of Santos' men pulled her to her feet and locked Caitlin inside the small bathroom. She heard gunfire and the sound of explosions all around her. She also heard helicopters and she was sure one of them was Airwolf.

"I'm in here," she yelled out hoping they were monitoring the area. "I'm in here!"

Several minutes went by and then it got quiet. "It's too quiet," she thought to herself. "Something's not right."

"Get back and away from the door," one of the guards yelled.

Caitlin backed away and waited for the door to open, hoping she would get a chance to escape. But, her heart sank as the door flew open and a man was dumped inside with her.

"Michael!" she yelled as she ran to his side before the guard slammed the door behind him.

Blood was running down the side of his face and Caitlin deduced that he had been grazed on the side of the head by a bullet. She rushed to the sink and grabbed a towel that was lying on the side. After wetting half of it, she moved back over to Michael. Cradling his head in her lap, she gently dabbed the towel on his face to clean up the blood. Then she pressed the other end of it to the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Where's Hawke?" she whispered to herself. "What happened to him?"

Caitlin couldn't keep her mind from the negative scenarios that were running through it. Hawke would have been there if he were able. She wondered if Santos had killed him or if the other unthinkable had happened and Airwolf had been shot down.

Slowly Michael opened his eyes and looked up at her. As soon as her face came into view he tried to speak, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Caitlin." he said softly. "Are you okay?"

Caitlin couldn't but give him a confused look. "Me?" she asked. "I'm fine. You're the one who was grazed by a bullet in the head."

"Ow, yeah," he said as he slowly tried to sit up. "It looks like we failed miserably at trying to rescue you."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back at the hospital Hawke slowly opened his eyes and found himself staring into Dom's weary face.

"What the hell…" he started. "You let them put me out, didn't you?"

"Take it easy String," replied Dom. "It was in your best interest."

Hawke quickly realized that he couldn't move his arms. He had been strapped down to the bed.

"Undo my wrists," he demanded. "I need to get out of here. What time is it? How long have I been out? We need to get Caitlin!"

"Take it easy String," Dom insisted as he put his hand on Hawke's shoulder. We got the demands and tried to get to Caitlin this morning."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. "What happened?"

Dom filled him in on the botched rescue and Michael's capture.

"We miscalculated their fire power and the number of men they have," he told him. "And we don't know if Michael is still alive. Marella said she saw him fall as he was shot in the head."

Hawke closed his eyes and sighed. "You should have waited for me to go with you," he told him.

"What and have you pass out or bleed to death?" asked Dom. "You couldn't have gone in their in your condition."

"Well, Michael shouldn't have either," Hawke said angrily.

"We didn't want them to keep giving her the drugs," Dom said somberly. "Also, we found out that Everett was part of all of this. We're sure that's how they knew about Airwolf."

Hawke shook his head. "I can't believe he'd do something like that," he replied.

"Me either," replied Dom.

"He's knee deep in it," Marella said as she walked into the room and overheard the last part of the conversation. "Apparently he and his director friend borrowed quite a bit of money from Santos. When their project failed, they were indebted to him."

"So Airwolf pays his debt," Hawke said angrily. "And Caitlin gets caught in the middle."

"We just got their new demands," replied Marella. "If we don't deliver Airwolf by noon tomorrow, they will send us a video of Caitlin's death."

"Untie me," Hawke demanded. "There's no way I'm going to sit back and let that happen."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin helped Michael sit up. His head was throbbing and he was trying to regain his balance.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"My head hurts but I'll live," he told her. "I'm sorry we couldn't get you out of this."

"I'm sorry too," she replied almost afraid to ask the question she was thinking. "They aren't going to stop until they get Airwolf. They didn't shoot her down did they?"

"I'm pretty sure they didn't," he assured her. "Dom took off right before I was shot. I couldn't make it over to him in time."

"What happened to Hawke?" she asked.

"He couldn't come," Michael told her. "He was rushed into surgery due to his appendix. He insisted on having a local anesthetic because he wanted to come rescue you but the doctor faked him out."

Caitlin couldn't help but smile. "Oh, I wouldn't want to be there when he wakes up," she admitted.

"That makes two of us," replied Michael. "He'll come for us now though. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah," she replied softly before she noticed Michael was staring at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"I thought Santos was drugging you?" he asked.

"Oh, no," that was just for show," she told him. "He wants me to teach his pilots to fly Airwolf and help him make his film. There's no way I'm doing that."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

An hour later, one of the guards opened the door again and pulled her and Michael out of the small bathroom.

"Take him," ordered Santos. "Dump him alive on the other side of the border. I don't need the heat from his people and I want them out of this. The girl is all we need."

Caitlin watched as the men grabbed a still dizzy Michael and dragged him out of the building.

Afterwards Santos turned his attention to her. "I will have what I want by noon tomorrow," he told her. "You will help me achieve my final goal. Together we will fly that machine and show the world the new power I possess."

"What if I refuse?" asked Caitlin, finally standing her ground.

Santos smiled. "Everett said you were a strong woman," he replied. "I expect no less. But, you'll soon realize that you have no choice in the matter. You'll do as I say or meet your death. It will be your choice, of course."

With that, he ordered his men to allow Caitlin to sit back down on one of the mattresses in the main room. Happy to be out of the small bathroom, Caitlin leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She was exhausted from lack of sleep and could barely stay awake. Unable to fight it any longer, sleep overtook her.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hawke continued to fight with Dom and the doctors about his release from not only the bed but the hospital.

"Look, you said we only have until tomorrow," Hawke insisted while trying to reason with Dom. "We need to work on a plan. I don't have a choice. I need to go after her."

"And you will," replied Dom. "But let Marella and I pull together the footage we got from our last trip over the area in Airwolf and review it. Maybe we can find a weakness. In the meantime, you need to rest so you'll be able to function. We'll pick you up first thing in the morning no matter what the doctors say."

Hawke sighed deeply. He knew he wasn't up to his full strength and fighting Dom wouldn't help his cause. "Fine," he replied. "But you had better not be lying to me again or else."

Dom raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Or else what?" he asked.

Hawke shook his head. "Damn it Dom," he replied. "I can't just lie here and do nothing. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he replied. "I'll be back to get you. I promise."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

It was morning when Caitlin finally opened her eyes again. She looked around at the rest of the crew that was still there. They were all asleep on the mattresses. She noticed the door to the warehouse was open and only one guard was standing by the entrance. Slowly she got up and moved toward the door, hoping this would be her chance to take him by surprise and escape. She stopped dead in her tracks as the guard turned around and followed Santos inside.

"Well, well," said Santos. "I see you are awake. This is perfect timing. Hawke will be here in a couple of hours to try and retrieve you and he's going to get quite the surprise."

"What are you going to do?" she asked angrily.

"Well, you'll be the one he'll be dealing with," Santos said with a laugh. "He'll be so busy with you that taking Airwolf from him will be like taking candy from a baby."

"He won't let you take Airwolf that easily, I promise," she replied.

"Oh, believe me, that is a promise you won't be able to keep," Santos assured her.

Santos motioned for two of his men to hold Caitlin. They grabbed her by the arms and held tight. He moved towards her and forced her mouth open, slipping in what Caitlin perceived as a small slip of paper. She struggled as he held her mouth shut for several minutes.

"What is that?" she asked trying not to panic when they finally let go of her.

"Why LSD, of course," he replied with a grin.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Dom met Hawke at the hospital as promised. After some coaxing and signing of papers that waived the doctor's responsibility for him, Hawke was able to leave the clinic. They met up with Marella at the hangar to go over their final plans.

"I have a small bit of good news," she told them when she got there. "I just got word that Michael was found just north of the border. It appears they let him go. He's injured but doing well. They're taking him to the clinic now."

"I'm glad he's okay," said Hawke as he looked over the aerial photographs Dom had taken the day before. "Now we need to get to Caitlin."

"From what we figured and saw," Marella continued. "He has all of his men spread out across this small fortress he's built. Those not guarding the outer edges of the compound are stationed in this small building on the left of that last photo. Caitlin and the film crew are being held in the main warehouse."

"Then we take out the small building first and make a chain gun run around the outer edges of the compound. That should leave them with fewer defenses before we land and I go in," replied Hawke. "You two can continue to defend me until I reach Caitlin. Hopefully they won't expect us to try anything like that with her still on the ground."

"It's risky," said Dom. "They could still hurt her."

"They don't want to," Marella told them. "When they found Michael, he reported that Santos wants Caitlin to train him and his men to fly Airwolf. He wants her alive."

Hawke gathered his gun and sighed deeply. "I pray you're right," he replied.


	8. Chapter 8

_Just an FYI: Since I've never experimented with drugs myself, what happens to Caitlin or what she "sees" or "imagines" comes from things I've read and a friend's experience. Also an episode of Simon and Simon. LOL So, I don't know how accurate it really is._

**Chapter 8**

Hawke, Dom and Marella made it to the compound in record time but to Hawke it felt like an eternity. Dom took his place as co-pilot while Marella manned the controls. They went in an hour before the planned meeting in hopes of having the element of surprise.

Once there, they met with some resistance from the ground but managed to knock out the surrounding guards as well as the guard house before landing.

"I've got ten people inside the warehouse," Marella told them. "They kept nine crew members besides Everett and the director so all but one of them should be in there. Others are scrambling from the compound."

"I'm setting down," Hawke told them. "Cover me and keep everyone else from getting to the warehouse."

"Got it," Dom assured him. "Just be careful String and try to take it easy. You're still not in the best shape."

"I'll be fine," Hawke replied. "You just do your part."

Hawke set down and quickly jumped out of Airwolf as Dom grabbed the controls and brought them back up and over the compound. He played defense as Hawke managed to make it into the warehouse. Once inside, he saw the film crew, including Everett sitting on mattresses in the corner, trying to shield themselves from incoming blasts.

"Where's Caitlin!" Hawke yelled at Everett. "Tell me where she's at!"

Everett got up and walked over to him. "Hawke, I'm so sorry," he told them. "I never meant to get you all involved in all of this."

"Damn it, where is she?" Hawke asked again.

"They locked her over there in the bathroom," he told him. "They gave her something. She's not in her right mind."

Hawke rushed to the bathroom door and called out to Caitlin. "Caitlin, get away from the door," he yelled. "I'm coming in."

Hawke used his shoulder and managed to knock the door open. When he entered the small room he found Caitlin sitting with her knees up to her chin on the opposite side.

"Cait?" he said softly. "Are you okay?"

Caitlin stared at him in horror. To her, his face seemed distorted and it frightened her. "No!" she screamed loudly, jumping up and pushing him out of the way as she ran by him.

Hawke ran after her and caught her by the arm. She turned and jabbed her elbow hard into his side causing him to fall and wince in pain. He pushed himself back up and tried to catch his breath. Caitlin stood still in front of him, staring at the blood stain forming on his shirt.

"I'm okay," he told her. "You're going to be okay too. Just let me help you."

Caitlin couldn't take her eyes off of his stained shirt. In her mind she saw the blood gushing out endlessly all over the floor, all at her feet. She looked at her hands and blood was streaming down them. She tried helplessly to get it to stop. She screamed and tried to run away again but he caught her from behind and held on tight. She struggled to get free, causing his gun to come loose and fall away from him.

"No, let me go," she yelled. "You're dead, you're dead. Stop the blood, stop the blood."

"No!" yelled Hawke. "Caitlin it's me Hawke. I'm okay. Please relax, it'll be okay."

Hawke knew there was no reasoning with Caitlin but he had to do something to get control over her or they would never be able to get out of there.

"Going somewhere?" asked Santos as he managed to enter the front of the warehouse, his gun drawn.

Realizing he'd lost his gun, Hawke turned and kept his gaze on Santos while still holding on tightly to Caitlin. She continued to scream and try to wiggle out of his arms.

"You're friend is on quite a trip, I would say," Santos said while laughing. "Let's hope it's not a permanent one. I'd hate to see such a bright mind go to waste."

"What the hell did you give her?" yelled Hawke."

"I guess the street name would be acid," he replied. "I see she's done quite a number on you. Well, I'd hoped you would have followed my instructions and landed Airwolf but since I now have you, I guess I'll just have to make sure your friends bring me what I want."

Caitlin watched as Santos mouth moved up and down and then it appeared to move all over his head. She closed her eyes and when she opened them she saw a large tongue coming right at her.

"No!" Caitlin screamed out and ran directly towards Santos, head butting him in the stomach.

Santos recovered quickly and pointed his gun at her as she lay sprawled out and unconscious on the floor after hitting it head first.

"Not so fast Santos," said Everett who had been watching and managed to pick up Hawke's gun. "Give Hawke your gun. It's over."

"You're making a big mistake," he told Everett.

"No, the mistake I made was blindly borrowing money from you," he replied. "Enough is enough I want no part of this."

Hearing more explosions outside of the warehouse and little gunfire from his people, Santos gave in and handed the gun to Hawke.

Within moments, Michael's people stormed in and took over, removing Santos and his people from the compound.

Hawke ran over to Caitlin and knelt down beside her. He could see she had a large welt forming on the side of her forehead. Fearing she may have suffered a concussion on top of everything else he gently picked her up and took her outside. He stumbled a bit as he made it through the door, the pain in his side increasing.

As he was heading towards Airwolf, Everett ran up to him and handed him his gun. "Here," he told him. "I'm so sorry Hawke. I had no idea my telling Rob about Airwolf would come to this. I know I have a lot to answer for but I never ever wanted you all involved in my problems."

"That's the problem," Hawke told him. "Everett, if you'd come to us, we would have helped you before it got to this."

Everett held his head low as Hawke moved quickly to get Caitlin inside of Airwolf. Once in, he pulled Caitlin onto his lap and held her tightly. "Get us out of her," he told Dom, his breathing becoming more labored.

"String, are you okay?" Dom asked, noticing the strange look on his face.

Before he could answer, Hawke passed out.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Hawke woke to the low hum of Dom's snoring. He opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He was back in the hospital and Dom was sleeping on a cot on the other side of the room.

"Dom." He said softly. "Dom."

Dom opened his eyes and sat up. "String, are you okay?" he asked. "Do you need anything?"

"What happened?" he asked as his memory was still a bit foggy.

"We stopped Santos," he told him. "You were injured. Broke a couple of ribs and tore out the stitches from your surgery."

"How long have I been here?" he asked groggily.

Dom looked at his watch. "Just about twenty four hours," he replied.

Hawke's mind suddenly went to Caitlin and his battle to control her. "I…I think Caitlin…."

"Yeah," Dom interrupted. "I heard she got you pretty good. Well, the damage is evident. She's one strong lady."

"How is she?" was his next question.

"The drugs wore off a few hours ago," Dom replied. "I haven't seen her but the doctor said she's pretty depressed. They believe it's a result of the drugs but I think it's a bit more."

"Yeah," replied Hawke. "She was really excited about that movie opportunity."

Hawke shifted in his bed but quickly found out that it was a bad idea. He closed his eyes and tried to fight through the pain.

"Looks like your pain medication is wearing off," Dom told him. "I'll go and get the nurse."

"I'm okay," he replied. "It can wait. I'd like to see Caitlin."

"String, let your body rest," Dom insisted. "You've done enough damage. She's not going anywhere. They want to keep her for observation for a few days. Michael ordered it.

Hawke frowned. "Does she remember what happened at the warehouse?" he asked.

"Some," Dom decided not to sugar coat it. "Michael said he filled her in on the rest. The doctor thought it best that she knows exactly what happened."

"She didn't mean to hurt me," Hawke insisted.

"Of course not," replied Dom. "It's just going to take her some time."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The next day Hawke tried to get the doctors to let him visit Caitlin but he was told that she was not excepting visitors. When Dom came back from a lunch run, Hawke complained to him about getting the run around from the doctors.

"Where's Michael?" he asked. "I want to see Caitlin and I feel like they are stonewalling me."

Dom sat down on the couch in Hawke's room and pulled out a sandwich he had bought. "Take it easy String," he told him. "Cait really doesn't want to see anyone right now. I've even tried and she didn't want to see me either."

Hawke frowned. "What's going on with her?" he asked. "I thought you said the effect of the drugs had worn off?"

"It has for the most part," he replied. "But that stuff is unpredictable. It can cause problems beyond the time it was given. It can also cause depression."

Hawke cocked his head at Dom. "How do you know so much about it?" he asked.

Dom smiled. "Why Marella, of course," he replied.

Hawke sighed. "I wish she'd see me," he admitted. "I hate not being able to tell her that I don't blame her for what happened."

"I know," replied Dom as he continued to munch on his sandwich. "But you both will be out of here in a few days and I'm sure you'll be able to talk to her then."

"I hope so," replied Hawke.

"I do have some good news," Dom told him. "It looks like Everett may get off easy. His friend admitted that he didn't know the details of what was going to happen to the film crew. Rob isn't getting off as easy though. Santos is looking at some hard time."

"I'm glad Everett is getting a second chance," Hawke admitted.

"More than that," Dom continued. "Another backer and director picked up the film and the actors agreed to continue. So did the rest of the crew. Caitlin still has the job if she wants it and Everett has been asked to come aboard as well."

"Oh," replied Hawke as he rolled over onto his side. "Good for them."

"Don't get too excited now," Dom chided.

"I'm happy for them," he replied. "Really, I am. I guess I was just hoping that maybe Caitlin wouldn't be leaving."

"She gave up her apartment and all her things are in storage," Dom told him. "I don't think she planned to come back."

String sighed. "I guess not," he replied softly.

Dom sensed that Hawked was tired so he excused himself. "I'll be back to check on you later," he assured him. "Get some rest."


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry for the delays in putting up chapters. Sometimes life just gets in the way. Hope the Cait/Hawke "fans" enjoy this last chapter. _

**Chapter 10**

Several days later, Hawke was released from the hospital. Caitlin was released as well but to his dismay, she still didn't want to see anyone. The new heads of the film set her up with a plush hotel room until they were ready to go back on location to begin filming. Michael made sure she had a ride to her new accommodations.

Hawke refused to take no for an answer and went directly to the hotel to see her. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be but he felt it was a risk he had to take.

"That was quick….." Caitlin said while opening the door in nothing but her robe. "Oh, Hawke. I thought you were room service."

"I needed to see you," he said softly.

"Hawke we already said our goodbyes before," she told him.

"Come on Cait," he replied. "This isn't about goodbyes and you know it."

"Please leave," she pleaded with him. "There's nothing else to say."

Hawke put his hand out and stopped her from closing the door in his face.

"I'm not leaving until we've talked," he insisted.

Caitlin's anger grew. "Then I'll call security," she told him. "They offered me a body guard after what happened before and I can make sure you stay away."

"Damn it Caitlin," Hawke nearly yelled. "What the hell is your problem? Why are you acting like this?"

Caitlin stared at him. She had seen Hawke angry but he'd never been that angry with her. In her heart, she knew she couldn't leave things that way no matter how much she wanted to push him away.

Slowly Caitlin backed away from the door. "Come in," she said softly.

Hawke walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Caitlin walked over and sat at the edge of the king sized bed.

"How's your ribs," she asked in a slightly shaky voice.

"I'm doing just fine," he replied. "You couldn't help what happened. I hope you know that I don't blame you."

Caitlin shrugged. "I kind of figured that," she replied. "It was all pretty scary. I thought I was losing my mind."

"I bet," he replied as he walked over and sat beside her on the bed. "You don't want to go do you?"

Caitlin turned and stared at him before giving him her twisted smile look. "How do you know me so well?" she asked.

"You're important to me," he told her.

"This whole mess made me realize that I'm still happy working with you and Dom," she admitted. "But you know the saying. You can't go home again."

"Why can't you?" he asked.

"For one my apartment's been rented to someone else," she replied. "Plus, I didn't think you and Dom would want me back after I abandoned you like that."

"Caitlin we didn't want you to leave in the first place," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you to leave now."

Caitlin pulled back from his touch and stood up, moving over to the large glass window. She turned her back to him and reached up, grasping her locket in her right hand.

"You guys seemed so happy when I first told you about my opportunity," she replied. "I wasn't even sure about it all at first and then when I told you. I don't know. I guess your reactions weren't what I expected."

Before she could continue there was a knock on the door. "Oh, that must be room service," she said.

Hawke walked over to the door and opened it. A young man brought in a tray of covered food, a bottle of wine and two glasses. He tipped the man and thanked him, closing the door quickly afterwards.

"Two glasses?" he asked. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Caitlin smiled. "No, they just assumed," she replied. "I probably shouldn't be having alcohol but the doctor cleared me so I figured it'd be okay. I just wanted to relax."

Hawke walked over to the large jetted tub that sat in the corner of the hotel room, pushed down the stopper and turned on the water. "I think a nice hot bath and a glass of wine would do you good," he told her.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I had in mind," she admitted.

As the water filled the tub, Hawke joined her over by the window. "Caitlin, Dom and I never wanted you to leave no matter how it sounded," he assured her. "I would have thought you'd known that. We just wanted you to be happy. We thought that's what you wanted."

"I thought I did too," she replied. "But to tell you the truth, everything about being on that set was so boring until all the Airwolf stuff started. Am I crazy to crave that kind of excitement?"

Hawke laughed. "You always have," he replied. "Remember the first time you flew in Airwolf with us? Dom and I thought you were nuts to want that kind of excitement. But, that's what makes you who you are. We wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Thanks," she said softly. "I know some of what I'm feeling is a result of the drugs. It worries me that I could still have some long term effects."

"Yeah," he replied sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't have gotten there sooner."

"Hawke, it wasn't your fault," she replied.

Noticing that the tub had enough water, Hawke walked over and turned the water off and the jets on before going to the food tray and picking up the bottle of wine.

"My favorite kind," he said with slight grin before pouring them each a glass and sitting both of them on the side of the tub.

Caitlin's heart nearly skipped a beat as she watched him. Afterwards he walked back over to her.

"My fault was not doing this before you left the first time," he replied.

"Doing what?" she asked nervously.

"Showing you how much I want you to stay," he said softly before pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

Hawke's kiss took her by surprise and left her breathless.

"Can I join you in the tub," he whispered in her ear afterwards.

Shocked, Caitlin stopped and stared into his eyes. Oh how she loved looking into those eyes. Suddenly she felt her nervousness drift away. She always felt safe with Hawke and she realized this was no different.

"Yes," she replied softly, still trying to catch her breath.

Hawke smiled and slowly started to unbutton his shirt before she reached in and took over, helping him out of his shirt and then his jeans.

Afterwards he untied her robe and she allowed it to fall to her feet, causing Caitlin to shiver slightly.

They climbed into the tub, each sitting at one end. "This feels awesome," Caitlin admitted. "But, what about your stitches?"

"They come out tomorrow," he assured it. "It's fine. The bandage is water proof."

Caitlin took a sip of her wine and stared at him. "I thought you said you were going to try and convince me to stay," she teased.

"Isn't that what I'm doing?" he asked with a grin.

"Come on Hawke," she replied. "You know I'm a girl who likes excitement. This is kind of boring." Caitlin put an emphasis on the word boring.

Hawke laughed recalling again those same comments she made when she first flew with them in Airwolf.

He slid to the middle of the tub, grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. "Okay, I think I can fix that," he replied before kissing her passionately.

"Oh, think you finally got the right idea," she giggled afterwards.

Hawke pulled her into a tight hug. "So does that mean you'll stay," he asked softly.

Caitlin smiled. "I wouldn't dare leave and give up this kind of excitement," she teased. "Maybe you can go home again. But this time, I think it's going to be even better."

**The End**


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